U.S. Geological Survey Manual

2. Authority. Title 5, United States Code, Section 6305(c),
provides the legal authority for earning and granting shore leave
which is in addition to other forms of leave provided by law.
Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 630, Subpart G, and
the Federal Personnel Manual Supplement 990-2, 630-7, provide the
governing regulations regarding shore leave.

3. Definitions.

A. Extended voyage means a voyage of not less than 7
consecutive calendar days duration.

B. Oceangoing vessel means a vessel in use on the high
seas or the Great Lakes. It includes smaller vessels used
in mapping, charting, or surveying operations. It also
includes smaller vessels sailing in, to, or from foreign,
territorial, Hawaiian, or Alaskan waters, or waters outside
its normal area of operations or outside the 3-nautical-mile
limit. It does not include a vessel which operates
primarily on rivers, other lakes, bays, sounds, or within
the 3-nautical-mile limit of the coastal area of the 48
contiguous States.

C. Regularly assigned means continuing duties of such a
nature that all or a significant part of them require the
employee to serve aboard an oceangoing vessel. This covers
not only the officers and crewmembers on the ship but also
those whose work requires that they regularly perform their
duties aboard an oceangoing vessel on extended voyages.
Temporary assignments of a shore-based employee, such as for
limited work projects or for training, do not constitute a
regular assignment. For example, a Geologist who is
required to serve on an extended voyage once or twice a
year, every year, would be considered regularly assigned to
serve aboard an oceangoing vessel on an extended voyage.

D. Shore leave means leave authorized by 5 U.S.C. 6305(c)
and earned by an employee who is regularly assigned to
duties aboard an oceangoing vessel on an extended voyage.

E. Voyage means the sailing of an oceangoing vessel from
one port and its return to that port or the final port of
discharge.

4. Coverage. An employee is entitled to earn shore leave,
which is in addition to any other leave, if he/she is regularly
assigned to duties aboard an oceangoing vessel on an extended
voyage. This includes the officers and crewmembers who operate
the ship and also any employee who, because of the nature of
his/her work, is regularly required to perform duties aboard an
oceangoing vessel on extended voyages. Continuing duties aboard
an oceangoing vessel must be documented on the employee's
position description. When such duties are no longer performed,
the position description shall be revised. The effective date of
the SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, changing the
position shall be considered the date of reassignment for the
purpose of granting shore leave.

5. Earning and Accumulating Shore Leave.

A. An employee earns shore leave at the rate of 1 day of
shore leave for each 15 calendar days of service on one or
more extended voyages. An employee's service aboard an
oceangoing vessel is creditable for shore leave accrual
purposes only when he/she is on a voyage of no less than
7 consecutive days duration including weekends. Service
time on voyages of less than 7 days duration are not
accumulated for shore leave eligibility.

B. Shore leave is in addition to annual leave and may be
accumulated for future use without limitation.

C. Determining Beginning and Termination Dates of Voyage.

(1) For an officer or crewmember, a voyage begins 1
day before sailing from home port or when the voyage is in
progress, the day he/she comes aboard. The voyage
terminates on the date he/she ceases to be an officer or
crewmember of the oceangoing vessel or 1 day after arrival
at the port of origin or final discharge, whichever is
earlier.

(2) For an employee other than an officer or
crewmember, a voyage begins on the date of sailing and
terminates on the date the ocean-going vessel returns to a
port at which the employee will disembark upon completion of
his/her assignment aboard the vessel or on the date he/she
is released from his/her assignment aboard the vessel,
whichever is earlier.

D. Computing Creditable Service. The days of service
creditable for shore leave include:

(1) The beginning and termination dates of a voyage;

(2) The days an employee spends travelling to join an
oceangoing vessel to which assigned when the vessel is at a
place other than the port of origin;

(3) The days an employee spends travelling between
oceangoing vessels when he/she is assigned from one vessel
to another;

(4) The period during which an employee is reasonably
expected to return to the port of origin when his/her
oceangoing vessel's voyage is terminated, or his/her
employment as an officer or crewmember is terminated, at a
port other than the port of origin;

(5) For an officer or crewmember, the days on which
he/she is on sick leave when he/ she becomes sick during a
voyage (whether or not continued as a member of the crew)
but not beyond the termination date of the voyage of the
oceangoing vessel or his/her return to the port of origin,
whichever is earlier;

(6) For an employee other than an officer or
crewmember, the days on which he/she is on sick leave but
not beyond the date on which he/she returns to the port of
origin or the termination date of the voyage, whichever is
earlier; and

(7) The days of approved leave (paid or unpaid)
granted between the beginning and ending dates of a voyage.

6. Granting of Shore Leave.

A. An employee has an absolute right to use shore leave.
Supervisory approval is required to determine when the shore
leave may be taken.

(1) Shore leave may be granted during a voyage only
when requested by an employee.

(2) An employee shall submit his/her request for shore
leave in writing. The employee may use form SF-71,
Application for Leave. When an employee's request is
denied, the employee's supervisor shall notify the
employee of the denial in writing and shall negotiate a
mutually satisfactory time with the employee.

B. The minimum charge for shore leave is 1 day, and
additional charges are in multiples thereof.

C. Shore leave shall not be granted immediately prior to
separation (terminal leave), unless the employee's inability
to use the shore leave earlier was due to circumstances
beyond his/her control and not because of his/her own act or
omission. When terminal shore leave is granted, the
effective date of the separation action shall be fixed to
include such leave and an appropriate certification shall be
given on the Form SF-50.

D. Forfeiture of Shore Leave. Upon separation from
Federal service, unused shore leave is forfeited, and cannot
be paid in a lump-sum payment. Unused shore leave is also
forfeited upon official reassignment (other than by
temporary detail) to a position in which the employee does
not earn shore leave. However, to the extent
administratively possible, every effort shall be made to
allow use of the shore leave preceding the reassignment or
within 6 months after the reassignment.

E. Transfer of Shore Leave. When, without a break in
service, an employee transfers to a position in another
agency in which he/she is entitled to earn shore leave, the
shore leave to his/her credit shall be transferred to
his/her new position. Written notification must be provided
by the servicing personnel office to the Payroll Office when
shore leave is to be transferred.

7. Payroll Procedures for Crediting Shore Leave. For each day
an employee is on an extended voyage, including days on which no
work is performed, 8 hours shall be credited on the Time and
Attendance form using hours code 087, Shore Leave Creditable
Days.